Policies + Disclosures

Waitlists and Closed Courses

Some classes which reach full capacity are set up to allow for waitlists on Student Planning. Electronic waitlisting is available for most courses in Liberal Arts – courses with a subject code of HAVC, LAS, HPSS and LAEL – and for some studios. Students can place their names on waitlists on Student Planning during registration. If a seat becomes available, the next person on the waitlist will be notified via RISD email that he/she has permission to register for the class. The email recipient will have two days (48 hours) to register for the class. The transaction for adding classes is done via Student Planning At the end of the forty-eight (48) hours, if the student has not registered, the opportunity to register will be removed and offered to the next person on the waitlist.

For classes which do not have electronic waitlisting, students can continue to check for an available seat and they may contact the instructor via email to ask if they keep a manual waiting list.

Waitlists shut down about a week before classes begin. After that time – whether you have waitlisted electronically or emailed the professor – you must go to the first class (or a subsequent class during the add/drop period) with an Add/Drop Form to seek the instructor’s written permission to be added to a class. The Add/Drop Form is available from the Registrar's office beginning the afternoon prior to the first day of classes.